Universal button sewing machine



May 14, 1940. M. McCANN UNIVERSAL BUTTON SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 13, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l WWW 2% New M. MQCANN- UNIVERSAL BUTTON SEWING MACHINE Fiied Oct. 15. 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Michael fileCann May 14, 1940.

May 14, 1940. M. M CANN ,9

UNIVERSAL BUTTON SEWING. MACHINE Filed; Oct. 13.v 1936 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 mrmu y M. M CANN 2,200,929

UNIVERSAL BUTTON SEWING MACHINE Filed 0012. 13, 1936 4 ShGBt-S-ShQBt 4 Win/peas: Michael Can/n Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UNIVERSAL BUTTON SEWING MACHINE 4 Application October 13, 1936, Serial No. 105,354

9 Claims.

This invention relates to button-sewing machines, and it has as its primary object to provide a universal button-sewing machine capable of performing substantially all of the conventional button-sewing operations on all of the various types, varieties and sizes of buttons.

Heretofore, it has been customary to provide individual button-sewing machines for 'each of the various button-sewing operations. For example, one machine was adapted for sewing flat buttons, another for shank buttons etc. Likewise it has been customary to provide separate machines for sewing buttons with and without stay buttons, and also for sewing the buttons close to the work or spaced therefrom for a subsequent shanking or necking operation. This practice has required the machine manufacturer to build, and stock for quick delivery, a great variety of machines all generally similar but each specifically different from the others. It has also required certain customers to buy a considerable number of machines, some of which are used only periodically, to perform his various operations whereas a materially smaller number of universal machines would meet his requirements.

Certain attempts, heretofore, have been made to increase the range of-operation of button-sewing machines. For example machines have been provided for sewing both two and four hole buttons, while others have been adapted for either through-and-through or blind stitching. Other machines have been designed to sew either with or without stay buttons. However, insofar as I am aware, no onemachine has heretofore been provided which, may be readily adapted forperforming substantially all of the button-sewing operations, with substantially all the types and vareties of buttons as contemplated by the present invention;

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a button-sewing machine embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1 showing it fitted with a different type of button-clamp. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view substantially on the line 33, of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are perspective views of worksupports adapted to be interchangeably attached to the work-clamps. Fig. 11 is' a perspective view of a spacer foot adapted to be used with the worksupports shown in Figs. 5 and 6 when it is desired to ,sew flat buttons with through-and-through 5 stitches with the button spaced from the work for a subsequent necking operation. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a spacer foot adapted to be used with the work-support shown in Fig. 7 when it is desired to sew flat buttons with blind stitches, 10 with the button spaced from the work for a subsequent necking operation. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the button holding foot, shown in Fig.

1, which is designed to hold metal eyelet shank buttons for through-and-through stitching. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a button holding foot adapted to be interchanged with the foot shown in Fig. 13 for blind stitching metal eyelet shank buttons. Fig. 15 isa perspective view of a foot for holding leather shank buttons, also adapted to be interchanged with the foot shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 16 is a perspective view of an interchangeable foot for holding self-shank buttons. Figs. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 2'7 and 28 are detail views illustrating the various combinations of work plates, button-clamps, and spacer feet selectively used to equip the machine for various button sewing operations later to be described.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the 30 invention is disclosed as embodied in a Singer Class 1'75 button-sewing machine having a main frame comprising a bed I, standard 2, overhanging arm 3 and head 4. Within the bed I is journaled a main shaft 5, connected, by mechanism designated generally as 6, to rotate a chain-stitch looper 1, shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2. Cooperating with the looper in the formation of stitches, is a thread-carrying needle 8 carried by a needle-bar 9 slidingly mounted, adjacent its lower end in a bearing It provided by the free end I l of avlbrating lever l2. Adjacent its upper end the needle-bar is slidingly fitted within a short sleeve l3 secured to a stud l4 pivotally mounted in the machine head 4. The needlebar is reciprocated from the main shaft 5 through the medium of an eccentric l5 secured to the main shaft and a pitman it having one end embracing the eccentric and the other end connected to an arm I! secured to one end of a rock-shaft l8 journaled in the arm 3. At its other end the shaft l8 carries an arm I! connected by a link 20 to a collar 2| secured upon the needle-bar 9. The needle-bar vibrating lever I2 is fulcrumed upon a stud 22 carried by a block 23 adjustably mounted in the arm 8, and is vibrated by a cam 24 secured upon an upright shaft 25. shaft! by a worm 28 and worm-wheel 21, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3. From the foregoing it will be understood that rotation of the shaft 5 effects rotation of the looper 1, reciprocates the needle-bar and needle lengthwise and also vibrates them transversely of the bed I.

The mechanism above described is of conventional form, being shown for example in United States patent to Plumley No. 1,671,124, May 29, 1928 to which reference may be had for a more complete disclosure thereof.

Located intermediate the arm 3 and the bed I is a work-holder and button-clamp adapted to hold the button in a predetermined position relative to the work and to locate both the work and the button relative to the stitch forming mechanism. Fig. 1 shows the machine fitted with a button-holder and work-clamp A, similar to that which forms the subject of United States patent application of M. McCann Serial No. 72,460, filed Apr. 3, 1936, adapted for shank buttons while Fig. 2 shows it fitted with a flat button clamp and work support B similar to that disclosed in United States patent to McCann No. 1,903,057, Mar. 28, 1933. As' hereinafter will be described, both the button-holding and work-holding portions of these clamps are readily interchangeable with others for various types of button sewing operations.

Within the arm 3 is mounted a; spring-pressed plunger P adapted to bear upon the supportingbar A of the button clamp A thereby to hold the button holding footin contact with the work. A clamp-lifting chain C carrying, at its lower end a rotatable thumb-screw I00 adapted to be threaded into either clamp supporting-bar, connects the ,bar A with conventional treadle-actuated clamp-lifting means designated generally as D. The flat-button clamp B is of less height than the clamp A and therefore, to enable the plunger P to act thereon, and to permit the chain C to be connected thereto, by the thumb-screw I without modification, the clamp-supporting bar B is provided with an upstanding post B having ahead 13 upon which the plunger P rests. The chain C also is adapted to be attached to the post Bfi as shown in Fig. 2, to lift the clamp 13. f In addition to the means for efiecting lateral vibration of the needle transversely of the bed to cause the stitch forming mechanism to form a single bar, as when attaching shank buttons or two hole flat buttons, means is provided for shifting the button-clamp lengthwise of the bed when attaching four hole buttons. is adapted to be actuated after approximately one half the stitches of a cycle have been made, thereby causing the, production of two spaced bars, one connecting each pair of holes in the button. The work-supporting means of each of the clamps A and B includes a work-plate slide or base-member 28 slidingly mounted in guide blocks 28 secured to the bed I. The slide 28 is formed at its rear end with a transverse portion 28 provided with slot 28 and with upstanding ears 28, formed with aligned apertures 28, which serve as supporting means for the bar B of the flat button-clamp and to which it is pivotally connected, as by a pin p, having a transversely arranged hand-grasp p.

Beneath the portion 28 of the work-plate slide is a horizontally disposed slotted arm 29 having one end secured upon the upper end of an up- This shaft is rotated from the main I lengthwise of the bed I.

This means right rock-shaft 80 journaled in a bearing boss 8| depending from the bed I. To the lower end of the shaft 30 is secured an arm 32 carrying a stud 33 which tracks a cam groove 84 formed in a cam disk 35 secured to the lower end of the shaft 25. The cam groove 34 comprises two connected semi-circular portions 34' and 84 (Fig. 3) of different radii and therefore one complete rotation of the disk 35 will, through the elements 33, 32 and 30, swing the arm 28 to two positions During the sewing of shank buttons and the conventional sewing of two hole fiat buttons, this swinging of the arm 29 is an idle movement, but during the sewing of four hole buttons it is utilized to shift the clamp lengthwise of the bed after the first group of stitches has been made through one pair of holes in the button. A stud 36, slidingly mounted in the slot 28 in the work-plate slide and having a. head portion 36 fitted in the slot 28 in the arm 29, serves at certain times to lock the arm 28 to the transverse portion 28 of the work-plate slide so that the former will actuate the latter. As shown in Fig. 3, the stud 36 may be adjusted to a position concentric with the axis of the shaft 39, in which case no movement is transmitted to the slide 28. When the stud is shifted outwardly in the slots 28 and 29 motion will be transmitted from the arm 29 to the work-plate slide 28, the amount of such movement depending upon the setting of the stud 36'. A nut 3'! thread- .cd on the stud 36 locks the latter in its various positions of adjustment.

When it is desired to sew two hole flat buttons by the so called Dubbilstay method of sewing, that is, by having the attaching thread diverge from the button eyes and engage the work at spaced points, as shown, for example in Fig. 16 of United States patent to Sibbald et al. No. 1,633,613, June 28, 1927, the supporting bar B of the clampB may be disconnected from the ears28 of the work-plate slide 28 and pivotally connected to ears 38 carried by the standard 2, as is the shank-button clamp A in Fig. 1.

Heretofore, it has been customary to have the work-plate, which cooperates with the buttonclamp, permanently secured to the forward end of the work-plate slide. This invention provides a construction whereby any one of a plurality of work-plates, each having .a different form of work-supporting end, may be interchangeably connected to the work-plate slide without the use of tools of any kind. This interchangeability of the work-plates, together with the interchange-- through or blind stitches, close to or spaced from the work, and with or without stay buttons.

Work-plates a, b, and 0 shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 and spacing feet g and h shown in Figs. 11 and 12, are adapted to be used in conjunction'with the flat button-clamp B, while work-plates d, e and f shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 and buttonholding feet 2', y, k and 1 shown in Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 16 are adapted to be used with the shank button clamp A.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 23 the supporting bar A of the button-clamp A is formed with a downtured forward end A having a vertically arranged guideway A adapted to receive the shanks of the button-holding feet 2', 1, k and l and which are held therein as by the screw 89. The rear end of the arm A is secured to an angle-bracket A adapted to be pivotally connected, as by a pin 1 to the ears 3! carried by the standard 2, and which serve as supporting means for the shank button-clamp A. The buttomclamp B is also adapted to be fitted with an'one of a plurality of interchangeable and adjustable button-holding levers, indicated as 40* in Figs. 23, 24, 25 and 28 and as 4|) in Figs. 26 and 27. These levers are described in detail in my above mentioned application Serial No. 72,460. I

Another feature of this invention is the means whereby the various interchangeable workplates may be readily secured to and removed from the work-plate base or slide 26. As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the work-plate base 28 has secured to its forward end, an extension-plate 4|, which, in effect, is a portion of the base and is made as a separate piece only for convenience of manufacture. This extension plate overlies a cover-plate 4 I which is secured to the upper side of the bed I. The plate 4| is formed with a slot 42 having rounded ends 42" and 42", adapted to receive, respectively, studs 43 and 44 which are secured to, and project from the under side of each of the work-plates a, b, c, d, e, and 1. Overlying the plate 4|, and secured thereto as, for example, by means of screws 45, which also secures the plate 4| to the work-plate slide 28,

is a spring clamping-member 46 having down-- turned side walls or flanges 46' adapted to engage the opposite edges of the shank portions 41 of the interchangeable work-plates and thus direct the pins 43 and 44 into the slot 42. The spring clamping member 46 normally bears down upon the shank portion 4'! of the inserted work-plate and, together with the pins 43 and 44 and the slot 42, securely holds the work-plates in operative position on the work-plate slide 28. The clamp-member 46 is so constructed that the forward edge 46' thereof is normally spaced slightly above the upper surface of the extension plate 4 I. To facilitate insertion of the interchangeable work-plates beneath the clamp-member, the shank of each work-plate is beveled as at 48. Thus the work-plates may be readily inserted between the extension plate 4| and the clamp member 46 and therafter held in working position as above described. To remove a workplate it is only necessary to lift the forward end thereof in-opposition to the spring clamp 46, thereby to free the stud 43 from the slot 42, as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 4, and then to pull it outwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow :r. It will be perceived that both the insertion and removal of the work-plates are effected without the use of tools.

Referring to Figs-1'1 to 28, the various combination of interchangeable parts designed to produce the various button sewing operations will now be described.

-Fig. 17 illustrates the combination of the fiat button clamp B, having button holding jaws m adapted to hold a flat button close to the work 10, and the work-plate a .(Fig. for through-andthrough stitching a flat button close to the work w.

Fig. 18 shows the use of the same buttonclamp and work-plate as in Fig. 17, the buttonclamp, however, being fitted with the spacer foot g (Fig. 11). This foot is adapted to be removably secured to the clamp B by a thumb-screw I03 as shown in Fig. 5 of the United States patent to McCann No. 1,998,587, Apr. 23, 1935. With this combination, the button is secured to the work at a distance therefrom, whereby other 6 threads subsequently may be wound around the attaching thread to form a neck between the button and the work.

Fig. 19 illustrates the combination of the flatbutton clamp and the work-plate b (Fig. 6) which is adapted to hold a stay button 2 at the underside of the work, whereby both buttons are simultaneously attached to the work at opposite sides thereof.

Fig. 20 differs from Fig. 19 in that the buttonclamp is fitted with the spacer foot y as in Fig. 18, whereby the main button is attached to the work at a distance therefrom for a subsequent necking operation.

Fig. 21 illustrates the use of the flat buttonclamp with work-plate c (Fig. '7) which has an adjustable abutment 0' adapted to position a folded portion of the work w relative to the vibratory needle 8, whereby the needle descends successively through the folded material ,and ove the edge thereof, thereby attaching the button by so-called blind stitches.

The combination illustrated in Fig. 22 differs from that shown in Fig. 21 in that the button clamp is fitted with the spacer foot h (Fig. 12) for spacing thebutton from the work for a subsequent necking operation.

Fig. 23 shows the combination of the shank button-clamp A, (Fig. 1) fitted with a buttonholding foot 2, (Fig. 13), and the work-plate d (Fig. 8) for sewing metal eyelet shank buttons to the work by through-and-through stitches.

Fig. 24 shows the work-plate d of Fig. 23 replaced by work-plate c (Fig. 9) for holding a stay button a at the underside of the work w, whereby both buttons are attached simultaneously by through-and-through stitches.

Fig. 25 illustrates the combination of workplate f (Fig. with button-holding foot ;i (Fig. 14) which has, at its underside, a downwardly extending portion 7, adapted to position a folded portion of the work w relative to the vibratory button holding work-plate e (Fig. 9) for attaching simultaneously leather shank buttons and stay buttons .2 to opposite sides of the work w.

Fig. 28 illustrates the combination of workplate I (Fig. 10) with button-holding foot I (Fig. 16) for blind stitching self shank buttons.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that I have provided an improvement in button sewing machines whereby a single machine may be readily adapted to produce any one of a great number of button sewing operations with various types and varieties of buttons, which heretofore has required the use of a plurality of machines.

I claim:

1. A clamp for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member; a work-support removably secured thereto; clamp means for securing said work-support to said base-member; a button-holder overlying said base-member and having button-holding means arranged in operative relation with said work-support; and means for releasing said clamp means to permit ready removal of said work-holder.

2. A work-holder for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member; a work-support overlying said base-member and adapted to be removably secured thereto, said base-member and work-support having complemental interlocking portions adapted to look the two together; and \spr;ing means .overlying said work-support for 10. rfeasably maintaining said interlocking portions in looking position.

3. A work-holder for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member provided with a slot; a work-support adapted to be removably secured to said base-member, said work-support having a pair of studs adapted to engage opposite ends of the slot insaid base-member to hold the basemember and the work-support against relative endwise movement; and spring means for releasably maintaining said studs in said slot.

4. A work-holder for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member provided with a slot; a work-support having a portion overlying said base-member and adapted to be removably secured thereto, said work-support having a pair of studs projecting from the underside thereoi and engaging the walls of said slot to hold the base-member and work-support against relative movement; and a spring plate secured to said base-member and having a portion engaging said work-support to releasably maintain said studs in said slot.

5. A work-holder for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member; a work-supporting plate overlying said base-member and adapted to be removably secured thereto, said base-member and work-support having complemental interlocking portions adapted to lock the two together; and an element secured to said base-member and having a portion overlying said base-member and spaced therefrom torform a recess for the reception of a portion of said work-supporting plate, 1 said element serving to maintain said interlocking portions in locking position.

6. A work-holder for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member; a work-supporting plate, having a bevelled rear end, adapted to be removably secured to said base member said base-member and work-support having complemental interlocking portions adapted to lock the two together; and a spring plate secured at one end to said base-member and having its other end spaced above said base member for the ready insertion therebetween of the bevelled end oi. said work-supporting plate, said spring plate thereafter bearing upon said work-supporting plate to maintain said interlocking portions in looking position.

7. A work-holder for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member; a work-support adapted to be removably secured thereto, said base-member and work-support having complemental interlocking portions adapted to lock the two together; and a resilient member seouredto said base-member and having a portion overlying and engaging said work-support to maintain-said complemental interlocking portions in looking engagement, said resilient member also having projecting side flanges adapted to engage the edges of said removable work-support to position said interlocking portions in cooperative relation. 4

8. A work-holder for button-sewing machines comprising a base-member, a work-plate overlying the base-member, means including a pin-andslot connection between said base-member and work-plate to receive and locate said work-plate on said base-member, and readily releasable means including a springbearing upon said workplate for securing said work-plate to said basemember.

9. A universal work-holder for button-sewing machines having stitch. forming mechanism and a button-clamp adapted to hold a buttonin operative position relative to said stitch forming mechanism, comprising a base-member located beneath said button-clamp, means carried by said base-member for locating thereon one of a plurality of work-plates each provided with a different form of work-support and each adapted to cooperate with the button-clamp, and means for releasably securing to said base-member the work-plate positioned thereon.

MICHAEL McCANN. 

